Why Pope Leo’s visit to Lampedusa matters for migrants, the church and global politics

By Sara Silvestri, Senior Lecturer & UG Programme Director, Department of International Politics, City St George's, University of London

As the US celebrated its 250th anniversary, Pope Leo XIV decided instead to visit the Sicilian island of Lampedusa.

Closer to Africa geographically than to Italy, the island is known as a place of sbarchi (sea landings) for thousands immigrants and asylum seekers journeying from Africa to Europe, and a place where thousands of others have died. While there, the pope visited…

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